Molly Bee

She became a regular on Hometown Jamboree during the next two years, a KTLA-TV program produced at the American Legion Stadium in El Monte, California. It was later moved to the then-famous Harmony Park Ballroom in Anaheim in Orange County, California. The Saturday night stage show was hosted and produced by Cliffie Stone, who helped popularize country music in California. While in her teens, Bee sang on the Jamboree, and gathered a large fan following. She was so popular, the program was sometimes referred to as "The "Molly Bee Show." The program gave a big break to many young singers, including Tommy Sands, who became a teen idol, and dated Bee in the 1950s. Read Less

Before their performance of "Dim Lights Thick Smoke", Ford teased Bee about her hair, which she wore in braids and complimented her "silver bell voice." Ford also coaxed her to yodel, a skill learned on the Tennessee farm where she spent her early years. Thereafter, her yodeling became a feature in most of her early appearances. She was quoted as saying that her nine years with the Tennessee Ernie Ford show were the most enjoyable years of her life; she was home most of the time and got to see her family every day. Bee's No. 1 hit was followed by three more hit singles, including "The Tennessee Tango". She had gone around the world by the time she was 19 years old.

Bee also undertook a brief stage and film acting career in the 1950s and 1960s, appearing in Corral Cuties, Going Steady, Chartroose Caboose and The Young Swingers, but once said she was "too shy" for an acting career. Read Less